I have been getting hits from people searching for rogue strategies for Karazhan. Here is my epic guide to rogue strategies for defeating this raid instance…

Stand behind stuff. Stab it. A lot.

There you go. Can’t-miss rogue technique, sure to have you at the top of the damage meter.

But seriously…

I love playing a rogue. It is by far my favorite class. But I will be the first to admit that its not as complicated to raid with as many of the others. Our crowd control (Sap) is rarely used in raids, and then it is do-it-once-and-forget. We don’t have to maintain it or switch targets to recast after it breaks. Our role in raids is mostly self-centered: concentrate on attack rotation and do as much damage as possible. We don’t need to watch the health of everyone in the raid, like the healers. We don’t need to be aware of multiple mobs and make snap situational decisions, like tanks. We don’t need to multi-task with pets like hunters and warlocks. We do damage, and we are built to do it better than anyone else.

That said, Karazhan presents some logistic difficulties for rogues. Most mobs are immune to bleed effects. Many encounters are hard on melee classes due to splash and AoE damage. So it is probably worthwhile to put down in pixels a few bits of wisdom for rogues venturing into Medivh’s old place.

If you use one of the traditional attack rotations that includes Rupture as a finisher, scrap it. Almost everything in Karazhan is undead. Maiden of Virtue and Prince are your only Rupture targets. For everything else, use SnD as your main finisher.See above. Undead can now be ruptured.

Use the /assist function frequently. If you are new to raiding on your rogue, most of the trash mobs can one-shot you. Don’t grab aggro or break CC. Keep an eye on your threat meter of choice and only attack mobs that are being tanked. Except when…

Evasion tanking and stunlocking has its place. There are some non-elite mobs scattered around, and even a couple of elite caster mobs that can be evasion-tanked. Make sure to follow your raid leader’s instructions on this.

Unless your raid has 3+ good healers, bring a lot of bandages.

Always stand behind mobs, regardless of your spec. Mobs can’t parry if you are behind them . Also, several bosses have Cleave, and you’ll want to stay out of the way of those.

You won’t be sapping anything.

Without sap or any other form of CC, your only role is dps. Do it well, and don’t grab aggro. If you’re messing up, you can be replaced with a BM hunter who can do the same dps as you but also has traps. Or a mage that does the same dps as you but can AoE. Your place in a Karazhan raid is tenuous, so take it seriously.

I’ll add to this in the coming days. I don’t want to repeat something that has already been done effectively by other authors, so I will link to rogue Kara strategy guides if I find any. If you’re new to Karazhan and looking for some advice about gear, you can find a thorough list at Parry! Dodge! Spin!.